Splendor of Parish Priests

SPLENDOR OF PARISH PRIESTS ROBERT REID, O.P. HE BOAT slipped silently away from the dock. On the deck, chained closely together, lay a small, haggard-looking I] group of men. They had been badly bruised and beaten, some into a state of unconsciousness. Only remnants of tattered clothing clung to their broken bodies-a piece of black cas sock material, a brown Franciscan cowl, a hardly recognizable Do minican habit. These men were priests and religious about to receive the coveted crown of martyrdom. The men on that boat were Saint John of Cologne, O.P. and his companions-known to history as The GorCLt7-n Martyrs! THE SETTING Holland in the sixteenth century was a very unhappy country, torn asunder by both civil and religious strife. The tide of Calvinism was rapidly sweeping over the land; the yoke of Spanish domination was weighing heavily upon the backs of the citizens of both Holland and Belgium. Spain and Catholicism were identified in the minds of the Dutch and Flemish peoples. The proponents of Calvinism used the peoples' natural aversion for Spain and things Spanish to fan up flames of hatred for the One True Faith. Catholics. they said, were friends of Spain and traitors to the fatherland; Protes tants, and especially Calvinists, were patriots. Loyalty to Holland and adherence to Catholicism were incompatible. Aided by such argu ments, Protestant leaders succeeded in disseminating the teachings of Calvin through a great part of the Low Countries. Alarmed at the contagious spread of this heresy and the ensuing possibility of a revolt, the Spanish monarch, Charles V, and his successor, Philip II, set up an inquisition, similar to the Spanish Inquisition, to deal with the situation in the Netherlands. The enraged Protestants, under the leadership of William, Prince of Orange, dispatched a strong petition to the Spanish mon arch, demanding immediate cessation of the Inquisition and, indeed, of all measures taken against the Calvinists. Despite the fact that Philip made many concessions to them, the Protestants rose in open rebellion against both Church and State. They attacked and 106 Dominicana pillaged Church property ; convents, schools, rectories and other religious edifices, not the least of which was the Cathedral at Ant werp, were damaged or completely destroyed. Philip eventually succeeded in restoring order for a time and placed the Low Countries under the iron hand of the Duke of Alba who entered Brussels on August 22nd, 1567. Two of the three leaders of the revolt, the Count of Egmont and the Count of Hoorne, were brought to punishment. However, the third and most powerful, the Duke of Orange, escaped. With the help of the Calvinists and French Huguenots, the rebellious Duke laid plans to re-enter Hol land. Admiral de Coligny advised him to attack by water, in the northern provinces, because there the heretics were in the ascendency and success would be assured. By the spring of 1572, a fleet of some forty vessels had been fitted out in various English ports. But Queen Elizabeth, acknowl edging the legitimate complaint of the Duke of Alba and still de sirous of maintaining good relations with Spain, ordered the fleet, under the direction of William of Marek, to leave her kingdom at once. The rebel fleet crossed the North Sea and sailed along the coast of Flanders. Strong winds forced the ships into the mouth of the Meuse River near the Isle of Voorne. Finding the city of Brielle almost defenseless, the Count de Ia Marek's men siezed it on April 1st, 1572 and it became the base of operations for the so-called "re formers." The stage was set for the events at Gorcum. GORCUM IS TAKEN Three months after the siezure of Brielle, a Flemish captain named Martin Brandt, one of the Count de Ia Marek's men, left the town of Dortrecht, about midway between Brielle and Gorcum. He headed a fleet of thirteen ships toward the latter town which was about twenty miles away. Gorcum, a small fishing town, which was called Gorinchem at that time, was hardly prepared for an attack by such an overwhelming force. Early on the morning of June 25th, the townspeople saw the enemy ships coming up the Meuse and fled to the town citadel, the only fortified place in the area. They were joined there by all the priests and religious in the area of Gorcum, namely, the Franciscan Recollect community from their local monastery, Father Leonard Vichel, the local pastor, Father Nicholas Poppe! . and Godfrey van Duynsen (a native of Gorcum), his assistants, (all secular priests) and Father John Lenartz, a Canon Regular of Saint Augustine, the chaplain of the local convent of nuns of the same Order. Splendor of Parish Priests 107 Brandt easily siezed the town with the help of a few local par tisans who championed the cause of the Calvinists. The force of about twenty men within the fortress was no match for Brandt's more than 200 armed soldiers and the Catholics soon surrendered. Upon payment of huge ransoms, the laypeople were allowed to go, but the heretics refused to release the priests and religious. Father Poppe! had brought the Blessed Sacrament with him and all received Holy Communion. They would need all the graces and strength of this Sacrament during the following days when they were to be subjected to inhuman cruelties as the heretics vented the full force of their wrath on these defenseless religious. SAINT JOHN OF COLOGNE Meanwhile, at the nearby town of Hoornaer, the pastor of the local Dominican parish learned of the terrible events at Gorcum. He was Father John, O.P., a member of the Province of Germany which at that time included Holland. Like so many other great men, little is known of his early life, other than the fact that he was born in Germany and entered the Order at the famous Convent of the Holy Cross in the City of Cologne. There St. Albert the Great, as Regent of the Studium Generale, had taught St. Thomas Aquinas. Other illustrious alumni of the Cologne convent were Blessed Ambrose Sansedonius, Blessed Henry Suso, Venerable John Tauler, Ulrich of Strassburg and Thomas de Chantimpre. Little did young Friar John realize as he lived behind those hallowed walls that one day he would die for the sacred doctrines he now studied. For twenty fruitful years, Father John had faithfully fulfilled his parochial duties at the Order's parish in Hoornaer. The people there learned as much from his saintly example as from his exposi tion of sacred truth in sermons. He knew well the holy doctrines of the Catholic Church and he knew equally well how to explain and teach sublime mysteries so that they were understood by his people. The good Dominican cared for his flock, blessing them, ab solving them, joining them in holy wedlock and feeding them with the Angelic Bread, the Food of Life. Stunned and shocked to hear of the horrible fate of his fellow priests and religious at the unhappy town of Gorcum, his pastor's soul grieved no less for their poor flocks, left helpless without shep herds in the midst of ravenous wolves. But long years in tl1e pa rochial ministry had made Father John a man of action. He resolved upon a plan by which he could aid both shepherds and sheep. 108 Dominicana SAINT JOHN IS CAPTURED As an obedient religious, the pastor of Hoornaer first sought and received the permission of his superiors before undertaking his hazardous mission. Prudence tempering his zeal, John wisely dis guised himself before setting out for Gorcum. He was able not only to enter the Catholic homes of the town and minister to the people, but even entered the citadel itself to bring encouragement and the consolation of the Sacraments. This went on for some days, but whether through treachery or not, the Friar was siezed by Brandt's men as he was in the act of baptizing an infant in the house of one of the Gorcum Catholics. He was then thrown into the dungeon with those whom he had served so well. The prisoners were treated with unspeakable brutality as we can see from the following account: "The soldiers struck the martyrs so violently on the face that blood gushed from eyes, ears, nose and mouth . they fastened the cords of the Franciscans round the necks of the Father Guardian and one of the secular priests, and, dragging them to the open door, threw the ends of the cords over it, and the victims were hoisted as high as possible, and then allowed to drop heavily on the floor; this cruel game continued till the Father Guardian's neck was one red wound, and he fainted away; then they approached lighted torches to his face, either to ascer tain if he were really dead or in order to increase his torture; they thus burnt his beard, eyebrows and eyelashes and even thrust a torch into his mouth, burning his palate and tongue and then left him for dead, but he survived to consummate his martyrdom a few days later . the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament were the special themes of their horrible jests."l Meanwhile, word of the brutal treatment accorded the men of God held inside the citadel reached the ears of an outraged popu lace and seething resentment grew against the Calvinists. Alarmed at the seriousness of the situation, Brandt sought the advice of the Count de Ia Marek at rebel headquarters in Brielle. La Marek or dered the prisoners sent to him immediately.

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